After Bryce’s proposal, Natalie was restless the whole night. For one thing, she couldn’t get Nick’s threats out of her mind. And at other times in the night, she was thinking about Liam crying when he was taken away by the Davidson family. All of these things distressed Natalie deeply.
After tossing and turning over and over, Natalie still couldn’t decide how to respond to Bryce’s proposal. Bryce’s offer was tempting, that was for sure. It would solve her current problems. But she couldn’t be so selfish and ignore the feelings of others.
Before Natalie knew it, the morning light had come into the sky. She got up. Liam was exhausted after following his mother around for the past few days and had not woken up yet. Seeing Liam still sleeping, a benevolent smile spread across Natalie’s face. She bent down and gently kissed his cute and adorable face. Then she went to prepare the things she needed to take to the office in the afternoon. She was just finishing her breakfast when there was a heavy, insistent knocking on the door.
Last night, when Bryce came over, he had been a gentleman and pressed the doorbell. This time, Natalie had a gut feeling that the people hammering on her door had come with bad intentions. Natalie took a deep breath, walked over, and opened the door.
What she saw when she opened the door was Tom, his face a combination of anger and impatience. He snorted, “Took you long enough to open the damn door.” He glanced at Natalie with contempt, walking in uninvited with two bodyguards trailing behind him. Natalie’s heart sank when she saw the bodyguards.
She said to Tom, “Why are you here? You know I’ve cut all ties with you and want nothing to do with you anymore. Please leave my house.” But Tom was in no rush to leave. Instead, he strolled around the house as if he owned it. He finally said disdainfully, “I thought you would be living the good life after quitting our family, but it seems like you’re no better off. Why don’t you be a good girl and come back with me to marry the guy I’ve set up for you? I’m sure you’ll be grateful in the future if you do.”
Natalie frowned resentfully. She’d known her father must have had an ulterior motive in coming here. “Whether I’m living a good life or not is none of your concern,” she said. “I had cut all ties with the family the day you threw me out of the house 5 years ago.”
Tom’s fury was evident on his face. He glared at his daughter, spitting out, “What, you think you have a backbone now and can be independent? You don’t even want to acknowledge the Davidson family anymore. Would I have kicked you out back then if you hadn’t shamed the family so badly?”
Natalie’s expression changed slightly as her heart ached for a moment. If her father knew the truth about what had happened, would he forgive her? But she knew at the same time that she was probably being too naive. She had always been the expendable one in the Davidson family, so why would Tom believe her even if he heard the truth? But maybe it was still worth trying.
Just as she was about to explain what happened 5 years ago, Tom continued, “Even if you wanted to come back to the family now, there’s no way we’d support a freeloader. So, I’ll give you one more chance. Will you marry the man that I have chosen for you? What if I say no?” Natalie asked stubbornly, refusing to bow down to him.
Tom scowled and gave the two bodyguards a discreet sign, unseen by Natalie. He said, “Whether you were willing to marry this man or not, Natalie, the truth is that I was just being polite when I asked you. The reality is that I’ll be making the decision for you.”
Before Natalie could react, the two bodyguards swept past her, heading straight for the bedroom. She realized their target was Liam. She gripped the door handle tight and said, “This is my private property, and you are intruding. If you take another step, I’m calling the police.”
Tom had been prepared for this. He snorted dismissively and said, “I suggest you save your breath. Liam has suffered a lot while he’s been staying with you. As his grandfather, I am here to protect him from that suffering. And once you have done your duty, I will, of course, send him to a good place.”
Natalie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She said, “Just what is that supposed to mean?” She could hear the bodyguards moving around in the bedroom. Tom ignored Natalie’s question.
When he saw Natalie panicking, a hint of happiness flashed in his eyes. She was stunned. She couldn’t just stand by and let Tom get his way. She had to think of a countermeasure.
Suddenly, Natalie realized what the solution was. There was no other choice. She had to marry Bryce to keep Liam safe. She said to Tom, “I have to go to the bathroom. I think I’m going to throw up.” She rushed past him, and as soon as she was in the bathroom, she pulled out her phone, dialing furiously.
Bryce was driving to his office when Natalie’s caller ID came up on his phone. He had a strange, ominous feeling but answered the phone anyway. He was about to speak when he heard her voice, which was full of panic. She gasped out, “Bryce, I will marry you. I will, but can you please come over to my place right now?”
Bryce frowned and asked, “Natalie, what’s happening?” Natalie had to keep her answers short as she didn’t have much time. “My father is here with his bodyguards. Liam and I are being held captive, right? I understand. Hang in there just a bit longer.” Bryce hung up.
Natalie didn’t know what had just happened and looked at her phone. The screen was now blank, but she suddenly felt sure that everything would be all right somehow. She wasn’t as scared as she had been.
Natalie went back to the living room and was shocked to see Liam sitting on the sofa, crying. He looked helplessly at Natalie. Her heart ached seeing this. She was about to go to Liam’s side when the two bodyguards stopped her.
She walked angrily towards her father and said, “Let Liam go right now! He’s only a kid, for heaven’s sake!” Tom’s smile was vicious. He clearly couldn’t care less how frightened and sad Liam was. Tom said, “I already told you, if you just do what I ask, Liam won’t be harmed.”
Seeing Liam’s hopeless condition, she finally broke down and yelled at Tom, “You heartless man! How can you treat your own grandson like this?” Natalie, overwrought, felt she had to act quickly. She shoved the bodyguard aside, catching him by surprise, and was about to make a break for the door.
At that moment, the doorbell rang. The three men looked at each other, unsure about who was outside. Tom’s expression changed. He gritted his teeth and barked at one of the bodyguards, “Open the door!” When the door opened, two cops were standing outside. Before Tom could react, the two cops showed their badges and IDs.
The older of them said, “We’re here because someone called the police and said that someone was trespassing.” The cop looked at Liam and then at the bodyguards before saying, “Please don’t cause any trouble. We need you to cooperate with our investigation.”